A ski brake of the abovementioned type is described in German OS No. 29 00 527 (corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,060), for example. In this conventional embodiment, the pedal is supported on the swivel axle for the braking mechanism, which swivel axle carries at the same time the erecting spring for the braking mechanism. Thus, the pedal is the support frame for the two braking arms and, consequently, special support is needed for the pedal on the swivel axle and also a separate swivel axle is needed for an operating plate which effects a swinging in and out of the two braking arms.
A similar brake is described in German OS No. 29 02 317 (also corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,060), in which the pedal also forms the support frame for the two braking arms and is also supported on the swivel axle, a spring-loaded operating plate which biases the two braking arms and effects their swinging in and out also being supported on the swivel axle of the braking mechanism. With this, the necessity for a separate swivel axle for the operating plate is cancelled, but both this end and the first-mentioned ski brake, due to their construction, are limited to use in connection with a predetermined ski width.
In a different embodiment according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,126 (FIGS. 7 to 9), the support frame for the two braking arms is designed as a housing which is pivotal about an axis which extends at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the ski and is spring-loaded, the individual braking arms being formed like braking wings which, supported on shafts, can be swung in and out. The shafts extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ski and form parts of an operating pedal. The two braking wings are thereby constructed at their regions which extend into the housing as operating extensions, wherein each operating extension cooperates with a counterpiece of the housing so that, in the retracted position of the braking mechanism, each wing will lie above the upper side of the ski and inwardly of the associated side surface of the ski. It is disadvantageous in this embodiment that a base and a wedgelike operating element must be provided on the upper side of the ski for each braking wing to provide on the one hand a secure support for the braking wing--and thus of the entire braking mechanism which lies in the retracted position--and to provide on the other hand a component which in the first phase of the swivelling of the braking mechanism from its retracted position into the braking position effects a sliding out of the individual braking wings. Only in this manner it is possible to avoid the problem of the braking mechanism remaining seated on the upper side of the ski. Aside from the mentioned disadvantages, a further disadvantage of the conventional construction consists in the housing having to rest in the braking position of the ski brake with its entire surface, which surface is disposed in the retracted position of the braking mechanism approximately vertical with respect to the upper side of the ski, on the upper side of the ski. This means that, for stepping in, the pedal defines an angle of 90.degree. with the upper side of the ski, through which an automatic stepping in is practically impossible with this ski brake. In addition, the housing is built up relatively high, such that this ski brake can be positioned only in front of or behind the ski bindings on the upper side of the ski, and by no means between the two jaws of the ski binding. But in the case of ski brakes which are common today, placement between the two jaw parts of the ski binding is desirable. According to experience, an automatic stepping in is easiest when a ski binding is equipped with a ski brake in such an arrangement.
To complete the state of the art, the following references are pointed out but have a common disadvantage, in that the braking arms in the retracted position of the braking mechanism do not lie inwardly of the two side edges of the ski, namely, they cannot be swung in and out. The references which follow have characteristics, however, which are utilized in the subject matter of the invention.
From Austrian Pat. No. 324 907, it is already known to use as a brake a U-shaped bar which consists of a round wire and has a swivel axle which extends at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski, on each side of which axle there is arranged a leg spring, the ends of which spring are arranged on the one hand on a ski-fixed holding plate which also supports the swivel axle of the braking mechanism and on the other hand resting on one of the bar legs.
German OS No. 25 07 371 describes, in connection with FIG. 9, a ski brake in which the support frame consists of a bent spring wire which is equipped with at least one leg, the end of the leg being bent outwardly or inwardly and furthermore out of the plane of the bent spring wire or the leg, namely, bent twice, wherein at least one part of the bend is supported in a mounting which is secured on the upper surface of the ski. A disadvantage of this conventional embodiment is that the bends which are held in groovelike guideways permit a torsion only in the bent areas of the spring wire, through which sufficient elasticity is provided only by a relatively thin wire which does not have the stiffness needed in ski brakes, whereas tests have shown that a suitably strong wire cannot produce the necessary elasticity.
French OS No. 2 272 695 is mentioned only to be complete, since FIG. 12 thereof corresponds to FIG. 9 of the lastmentioned German OS.
In a different conventional ski brake according to Canadian Pat. No. 638 773, the two braking arms are constructed as parts of an operating pedal which can be fastened on the upper side of the ski by means of a hinge, the two hinge parts being biased by a torsion spring. The pedal is riveted to one of the hinge parts and the other hinge part is secured to the upper side of the ski, the one hinge part being biased by the two free ends of the torsion spring and the other hinge part by a loop which is formed approximately in the center of the spring.
In a still further ski brake, which is shown and briefly described on pages 10 and 11 of the 1979/80 Marker catalogue, the two braking arms are constructed as legs of a spring wire which is approximately U-shaped in the top view, the bight of the U-shaped formation being supported in a bearing plate which extends, in the retracted position of the ski brake, approximately parallel to the rotary table of the ski binding. The braking mechanism of the ski brake is biased by a divided helical spring. The two braking arms each extend through an eyelet of the mounting of the ski binding in order to create a connection between the ski binding and the ski brake. The ski brake is therefore usable exclusively in connection with a particular ski binding.
A ski brake having a braking bar which is connected to the two braking arms and which has, viewed in the front view, an approximately omega-shaped design is described in German OS No. 28 06 643. In this embodiment, one arm of the bar is, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the ski, constructed offset and the braking bar is biased by two C-shaped springs which, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the ski, are supported at a distance from the two bearing points of the braking bar on the upper side of the ski.
A similar ski brake which has been known on the market for a longer period of time is shown, for example, in the 1979/80 Look catalogue (page 11). The braking bar in this case is designed to lie in a plane and a substantially O-shaped spring is used as an erecting spring.
In the two lastmentioned solutions, the braking bar has, viewed in the front view and in the braking position of the braking mechanism, an approximately omega-shaped swivel and operating part on which the two braking arms are connected. This ski brake is also limited to the ski width for which it was produced, since an arbitrary spreading or compressing of the two bearing legs of the swivel and operating part of the braking mechanism, which bearing legs form the swivel axle of the braking mechanism, would fail, in that the two bearing legs could no longer be supported extending parallel to the upper side of the ski.
The basic purpose of the invention is to provide a simple ski brake of the abovementioned type which is as friction-free as possible during swivelling. Furthermore, the ski brake is to be adjustable in a so-called building-parts system for different width skis.